Apparatus for concentrating liquids.



PATBNTED FEB. 18, 1908 J. H. CAMPBELL. I APPARATUS FOR OONGENTRATING LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.6,1901.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

ITNESSES: f/ma/ My? 7 By Alta meys,

No. 879,515. PATENTED PEB.18, 1908.

J. H. CAMPBELL.

APPARATUS FOR OONOBNTRATING LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED PEB.G,1901.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

V Y INVENTOR: AaNlTN/gssffs; 7 By Attorneys,

I: i merits in hurrah *s'rn rns PATENT oruuon.

JOSEPH H. CAMPBELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,' ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHARLES H. CAMPBELL AND TO ELIZABETH AND CHARLES H. CAMPBELL, EXECU- TORS OF SAI D JOSEPH H. CAMPBELL, DECEASED.

Arm arus FOB oonosu'mmmo mourns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18,1908.

Application fileii lfabrnery 6 1901- Serial No. 46.226-

H. CAMPS-ELL, in the invented certain new and useful Improvea'ratus for Concentrating Liquids, of WlllO the following is a specification.

I My inventionaims to provide an improved lagsparatus for "concentrating liquids, and

ch is especially adapted for concentrating'liquids which require to. be concentrated rapi dly, but which would be injured by the enfiy to foam when a itated. 3 I ymvention 1ntro noes-also various other employment of a high temperature.

My invention. aims also to provide animroved apparatus which isespeeially adapted or concentrating liquids wlnch'have a tend- Yimprovements in operation and details #of construction, as "hereinafter more Referring to the unitary drawings showing certain embodiments of my invenration, Figure l is.aogntral'flohgimdinalseotion;,Fig. 2 is a crosssection'lh the line -2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3jis asection n the line 33 of Fig. 1, oinittinggall ,arts which would "a pear in elevation, and i ustrating =especi- "pparatus; Fig. fl is aplan {partly in section; fl V iongitu inal and a cross sect on res ct'ively ole modification, asomewhat sma er scale being used. Y My complete'a'p aratus asillustrated com prises .a tank for t eliq-uid; means for heat- ;ing the mass of'liquid, which may be a chamsuch as a jacket or a series of internal coils, or preferably both, the walls of which whereby the liquid may be concentratedv are in contact with the liquid and'through which a heating medium such for example as hot water or steam is circulated; and

rueans for introducing air in large volumes auto the liquid to carry off the heated'vapor,

rapidly and at a low temperature.

In the preferred arrangement of my apparatus, which is especially designed for the revi'luction of liquids, such for example as milk,

which have a tendency to foam and thus re;

tard the escape of the vapor with the injected air, the air is introduced into the li uid in large quantities in the form of a broa sheet or stream and in such a direction as to set the chase in circulation with a rolling motion zplashed up age. 5 and 6 are a whereby disen a ement of the air bubbles is facilitated and foaming reduced. I refer also to arrange the parts so that the 00' s and walls, or other heating surfaces, aresubjected to a scouri 0 action by reason of the direction of the air last, which prevents the formation of a deposit on said heating surfaces. I also in the preferred form of ap aratus' provide for maintaining the area 0 application of heat below'the level of the liquid by the gradual lowering of the level of the heating medium in the iacket, coils or the like, as the liquid in the tank is concentrated and -its usefulness with liquids which as they are would adhere to the walls above e genera level and (if said walls remained hot) would become hardened thereon.

Referrin to Fi s. 1 to 4 of the drawings, A is a ta 'trated- For heating the liquid I employ a in w oh the liquid 'is concenjacket B, or coils C, -or both, as s own, through which a heating medium such as steam or hot water circulates. For intro.-

vducing air, I show a pipe 1) composed ofv a seg'mentof a complete circle, which rests on the bottom of the tank and which is perforated at the sides for the escape of the air.

The apertures through which the air escapes are bread, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to introduce the air in large quantities and in the- .form ofabroad sheet or stream, rather than anumber of fine jets; so that the blast of forcibly moves the mass of liquid, rather than merely mingling with it and rising more or less directly to the surface as would be the case with fine jets. By the arrangement of internalcoil's and a jacket, 'I am anabled to heat the mass of liquid throughout, and by the use of an air pipe such as D I am enabled to introduce air in very lar e volume into the li uid, which carries off is e heated vapor pro need by reason .of the extended level lowered. This feature is of es'pe'eial heating surface of the walls of the jacket .and. I

coils in the tank, and while concentrating the liquid rapidly, maintains its temperature below that of the heating medium. In fact by proper proportioning of the 'quantit and temperature of heating medium an the quantity of air introduced, I am enabled to evaporate liquids at almost any desired temperature, and within a-wide range of variatlon of rapidit.

A serious difiiculty which is encountered in the concentration of many liquids by agitating methods, is the formation of a strong tough foam which seriously retards the escape of the vapor with the injected air introduc'ed into the liquid, and the consequent evaporation. I have found that the esca e of the air bubbles from the liquid is faci itated by giving the liquid a rolling motion. Thisrolling motion may be accomplished by JO avariet'y of forms of my apparatus. In the preferred form of my a paratus, the rolling motion of the mass of liquid is obtained by introducing the air through the pipe D near the bottom of the tank in broad sheets or streams as explained, and in a direction approximately a 011g said bottom, as indicated y the arrowsd 1n Fig. 3. The air travels along the bottom and then up the side walls of,the' tank, carrying the liquid with it; the air escaping at the to and the circulation of the liquid being contlnued downward at the center to the pipe D again. By this relative arrangement of the walls and bottom of the "tankand the coils and air pipe D, the liquid or. the'combin'ed air and liquid scour the exposed heating surfaces and keep them clean andbright. There is in some liquids a-con- ""Tstan't tendency to form a deposit on the walls aiidhrhere these walls are heated-to a higher temperature .tl1an the body of the liquid, the formation of a hard cooked cake is frequently observed. By avoiding this objectionable ac tio'n, m apparatus prevents the loss of a portion of thesolid (and usually more valuable) constituents, and prevents any lumpiness in the resulting product.-

For the purpose of cleansing the coils, I prefer to arran e them so that they may be {easily accessible after each concentrating 40 'op'eration. ()ne mode of accomplishing this result is shown in Figs. 1 to 4. Each coil C is composed of, a pair of headers E F, and a series of connecting pipes, the headers being arranged in a well known manner to produce a circulation forward and backward through the successive pipes. The heating medium is introduced and withdrawn at I opposite ends of the header E through pipes E which pass through the walls of the tan and jacket, A

and are swlveled at E3 The details of these connections are not important to my invention. The alternate coils C are trunnioned at opposite ends, as shown in Fig. 1-, and are offset so that each may be'raised in turn to a 5 vertical osition by rotating about the center of t 1e header For sup )orting the coils in their operative horizontal position, I provide brackets F attached to 'the walls of the tank. My heating coils are thus capable of a thorough andv very expeditious cleaning either'during or after the operation of the j apparatus. By turning the coils iritola vertlcal position, I also provide access to the bottom and sides of the tank for cleaning the 6 same.

- My air sup ly pipe where entirely submerged in the liquid, as in the form shown at D in Fig. 2, or partially submerged in the liquid, may require also to be cleaned freqlpently, and I provide'for its removal for 7,3 t is purpose. In the construction shown in 'Fig. 1, the pi e D is removable endwise through the wa of the tank and of the jacket. The air is introduced by means of a blower, such as the Root pressure blower G, through a pipe H, which is swiveled at its upper end and is removably connected at its lower end a casting K, which conducts the air to the pipe D. The casting is preferably fixedly attached in position. For removing the pipe 1-5 -D, the pipe H is disconnected from "the casting K and is turned aside about its upper Q swiveled connection, and the pipe D is then withdrawn longitudinally through the cast ing K. Any other construction which permits access to the pipe 1) for cleaning it would be suitable. i The necessary connections for causing circulation of the heating medium through the coils and jacket may be varied infinitely. go A feature of my apparatus is the arranging of the connections and valves in such a way that the su ply to the various coils may be cut oil as the level of the liquid falls below such coils by reason of its concentration, and 9 that the level of the heating medium in the acket may also be lowered to be always below the level of the liquid in the tank. This lSlhP-lllQPUIPOSB of maintainin the area of applicationot heat below the Tevel of the liquid under treatment. The surtaces'above' the level of the liquid are thus kept cool, which avoids the injurious caking above re ferred to which would result from the s lashing of the liquid on such surfaces also economize heat in this way,,sup lying only that useful for the continuation oi the operation. i

L is the suction pipe for an injector L-.

in which steam is int oducedg'through a n;

pipe M, whereby um water may be heated and also forced into the several branches L which connect with the entrance end of the trunnioned headers E.

Ii indicate valves for controlling the supply to each. of the headers E independently; After passing through the headers E, the" heating medium may then be carried to a waste pipe N, from which it runs ofi or is a ain drawn up through the suction ipe L. T e jacket su ply -may be indepenr ent of the supply to tiie coils, but I find it most eon}- venient to supply the jacket from the are haust of the lowest header-E, as shown best in Fig. 2. This lowest header E discharges through the swiveled joint E into a" p1p'e O, which in turn connects with a .pipe P running longitudinally of the jacket, By. connecting the jacket withthe lowest'ico'il which is always in operation the it:

concentration oftheliquid, the supply to the jacket is always maintained. For lower ng parts are shown as merely one example of a eating and circulating means. Any other suitable means may be employed which will e fect the desired result.

In Fig. 3 the upper levels show the liquid in the tank and the heating medium in the jacket during the first part of the operation;

the arrows showing the rollin motion of the li uid under the action of t e injected air Wnereby foaming is revented and the exposed walls of the tan 1 and coils are-scoured. As the concentration progresses the heatin medium in the successive coils is cut olf'an the levelof the same in the jacket is lowered to maintain the heating surfaces below the level of the liquid in the tank. When the desired degree of concentration is reached the air sup ly isdiscontinued and the conditions shown y the lower levels in'Fig. -3 obtained. A valve V in the bottom of the tank is opened by means of an upwardly extending rod V for emptying the tank. 7

My 1nvention is capable of modification in a variety of ways, without departure from the principle of the invention, or from the mode of o eration above described. For example in igs. 5 and 6 I show a modification in the arrangement of the circulating coils, and in the means for introducing "the air.

' The same rolling movement of the mass of liquid, and the same scouring action, are resent however. The same capablhty of owering the area of the heating'surface is also present. In this construction the tank A and jacket B are the same as in the preyiously described construction. The coils C comprise headers E and connecting pipes arranged to circulate the heating medium backward and forward, the coils being shown as supported in a fixed position in the tank. The heating medium enters a header at one end of a coil, and asses out of the header at the other end, as s own at E the exit end of each coil leading I directly into .the jacket. The heating n1 edium is introduced through a suction pipe L, as by means of a steaminjector L, and from each of the branches L .through a corresponding cock L into the coils. The exhaust from the jacket is by way of branches l1 and cocks T, as in Fig. 1 I may also modify the air injlecting pines by introducing the air throng a pipe H supported above the tank by any suitable means, from which depend nozzles D which project down between two of the adjacent pipes of the coils C and terminate near the bottom of the tank in a long narrow orifice which spreads the air into a sheet as in the form shbwn in Fig. 1.-. The air striking the bottom of the an i rlsfieq ede ng h m. en t? at ,thesides, asindicated in- Eig. 6. The. entire system of nozzles D and the piipe 'l-l may be bodily removed from thetan. for cleaning.

Various thermodifications will occur to those skilled in the art, .all of which will'be embraced within my invention. It will be QBderst-ood therefore that l do not limit myself to the specific arrangement, details or combinations illustrated and described. 7

In order to illustrate the practical operation of my apparatus I refer to my a plication No. 22,105, filed June 30, 1900 (f'atent which one form of the apparatus is'a plied to the concentration of milk to produce socalled condensed milk. Incarrying out such concentration I have been able to use a circulatingmedium at a temperature from troduce air in such volume as to maintain or even lower, an under such ressure as to overcome the head ofl1qu1d 1n t e tank, (usuprocess) and to enter the liquid in such a powerful blast as to produce the-necessary walls. It will be understood however thatmy a paratus is capable of Workin .under varie conditions as to temperature 0., and that a temperature which would be high for concentratm milk might be low for concentrating other iquids, or vice versa.

What I claim" therefore and desire to secure by Letters Patent are the following defined novel features each substantially: as described: A

1. In apparatus for concentrating liquids, the combination of a tank for the liquid, 8.

into a vertical position, and an air pipe extending into the liquid and apertured to in-. troduce air thereinto near the bottom of the tank and in approximately the direction of said bottom, said air pipe being remov air pilpti for cleaning the same is facilitated.

2. an apparatus for concentrating liquids the combination of a tank for the liquid and a series of coils one above the other it ithin said tank, each coil comprising headers E and F, and pipes connected to said headersE and trunnioned in the walls of said tank, and supports in said tank for said head ers F i? positions to hold said coils substantially iorizontal and one above. another, each of said trunnioned pipes being offset from theone above.

3. In an apparatus for concentrating 'liquids}. the combination of a tank for the liquid and a coil within said tank, said coil comprising headers E and F and pipes con- No. 668,161, dated February 19, 1901), in

18Of to 200 F. and at the same time to in-' the milk-at a tem erature of about 140 F,

ally 3 to 4 feet deep at the beginning of the' rolling motion of the milk and scouring of the 1'05 jacket surrounding said tank, acoil within said tank normally horizontal and trunnioned at one end so that it may be'turned able,;whereby access'to the tank, coil, and

nected to said header E and trunnioned in cess to the tank ireoih-and air pipe for cleanit the Walls of said tank, supports in said tank in the same is iaoilitated.

for said header F in posltlons to hold said n witness whereof, Ihave hereunto si ned coils substantially horlzorital and one above my name in the presence of two subscri ing another, and an air pipe extending into the Witnesses.

liquid and apertured to introduce air there- JOSEPH H. CAMPBELL. into near the bottom of the tank and in ap- Witnesses: proximately the direction of said bottom, THOMAS F. WALLACE,

said air pipe being removable, whereby ac- FRED WHITE. 

